May 20, 2013
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by John Bacon, USA TODAY

by John Bacon, USA TODAY

The Florida sun was shining a little bit brighter Sunday on an unidentified person who beat odds of 175 million-to-1 on a Powerball ticket worth $590.5 million, the single-largest winning lottery ticket in U.S. history.

The lucky numbers in Saturday night's drawing were 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball of 11. A mob of media and the curious amassed Sunday outside the Zephyr Commons Publix supermarket, in the Tampa suburb of Zephyrhills, where the winning ticket was sold.

Inside, a manager said the enthusiasm of the moment was muted, even as rumors swirled that an employee might have won.

"We're kind of excited that someone bought the ticket here, but we still have work to do," said Amanda, a manager who declined to provide her last name.

Joan Albertson, 64, a Zephyrhills resident and retiree, said she had heard the whispers that a Publix employee had not shown up for work Sunday, fueling talk in the city of about 13,000 that the winner worked there.

Albertson, who had purchased five tickets at a gas station across the street from the Publix, said that would be fine with her.

The winner can claim a lump sum of more than $370 million. It's the sixth winning Powerball ticket sold in Florida. The winner must claim the prize at lottery offices in Tallahassee.

"We know nothing yet," said David Bishop, deputy secretary of the Florida Lottery. "We rely on that person coming forward. The winner may not even know they have the winning ticket yet."

The jackpot barely beat out Powerball's previous record jackpot of $587.5 million that drew two winning tickets just last year. The largest U.S. jackpot was $656 million from a Mega Millions drawing in 2012 that also was shared.

Consolation prizes from Saturday's drawing were making people rich, too. Tickets worth $2 million each were sold in New York state and South Carolina. And 33 people in 17 states will pocket a cool $1 million. Six of them were sold in New York state.

Powerball tickets are sold in 43 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.